The Waimea river wave in all its glory is a real sight to see. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Jamie O’Brien is a big fan of weird waves. Good waves, too, but when the waves are weird, he likely has a hard time choosing between the two. And when the Waimea wave is working, it’s about as weirdly good as waves get.
Jamie’s no stranger to surfing that standing wave that is created when the Waimea River bursts the bank. Sure, you’ve probably seen it before, but just like normal waves, the Waimea river wave has its good days and its better days. And this particular day was a better one.
O’Brien was on it early, leaving the house at 5:30 a.m. From his house looking over Pipe to Waimea is just a short drive, so he was in the Waimea parking lot before the sun rose. He, along with a handful of others anxious to get things moving, broke out the shovels and got to work.
“This is going to be an amazing one,” Jamie said. “It’s really full; super psyched to ride this river.”
As the day wore on and the sand wore down, the river wave just got bigger and better. It got so good, in fact, that Jamie called it “the best river in the last 10 years.” Which is a saying a lot, coming from him.
